San luis Obispo-Santa Barbara, nicest place in America? (Oxnard, Santa Maria: houses, college)

[Boer]

Clearly this area has some of the best weather in the nation... besides the obvious (costs of living) what is the worst thing about living in this Zone? Natural disaster? Social? Considering moving out there for law enforcement/wildlife/science career opportunities would love semi rule location. Love surfing, dirtbike, martial arts and hobby farming.

Thanks!!

[JB316]

Originally Posted by Boer

Clearly this area has some of the best weather in the nation... besides the obvious (costs of living) what is the worst thing about living in this Zone? Natural disaster? Social? Considering moving out there for law enforcement/wildlife/science career opportunities would love semi rule location. Love surfing, dirtbike, martial arts and hobby farming.

Thanks!!

I would say a downside would be if you like to attend sporting events (professional) or have a variety of entertainment options (concerts, special events). Also, even though SLO has a cool airport, you would likely need to do more connections and also pay more.

That being said, we recently visited the area and really enjoyed it, they have lots of pros as well. It’s just a secluded area, and even though nothing is too far away (right in between LA and SF), nothing is exactly close either.

[roadwarrior101]

I think both SLO and SB are great small to mid-sized towns. I personally prefer SB as it has a little more to offer, but SLO has a very nice college town feel. I also like the wineries around the Santa Ynez Valley and Paso Robles.

I don't LOVE the other communities in the area, as the beach communities north of Pt. Concepcion are too chilly for my taste and places like Santa Maria just aren't nice.

As far as SLO or SB goes, I don't think I could live there as there isn't much to offer in terms of job opportunities, yet both are very pricey, especially SB. Probably would be great places to retire or live if you have old money.

[Mr5150]

Originally Posted by JB316

I would say a downside would be if you like to attend sporting events (professional) or have a variety of entertainment options (concerts, special events). Also, even though SLO has a cool airport, you would likely need to do more connections and also pay more.

That being said, we recently visited the area and really enjoyed it, they have lots of pros as well. It’s just a secluded area, and even though nothing is too far away (right in between LA and SF), nothing is exactly close either.

Living in rural CA, I have to laugh when people refer to towns the size of SB or SLO as "secluded".

Given the choice, I'd opt for SLO. Less expensive and the people are more genuine and real. And does SB even have a real airport?

[JB316]

Well, seclusion in this case would be relative. Obviously they aren't small or sparsely populated places, but if you are describing them based on their location to a major metropolitan area (like I was) then yea, they are pretty secluded (SLO more so).

[Boer]

What about the whole mudslide/ Wildfire /earthquake situation?

I am a minimalist by Nature but I've never lived in a trailer just small old houses was looking at the whole container thing pretty cool in my opinion. I would want minimum one acre but more is always better... even if I had Millions I would prefer to live a minimalist Spartan lifestyle.

[Mr5150]

Originally Posted by Boer

What about the whole mudslide/ Wildfire /earthquake situation?

As someone who grew up in CA I say see how many people have died and homes destroyed in the last 50 years due to fires/mudslides/earthquake. Then look to other parts of the country and consider the destruction and death caused by hurricane and tornados!

Just live where you want to.

[nightlysparrow]

They're both dependent on a single freeway.

[MtnSurfer]

We've actually been looking at SLO again as one option for our next move along with other areas out of state (WA & OR).

We have relatives near there. The area has a lot of positives including the overall beauty of the place, the coast, the hills, proximity to Big Sur and of course mild year round weather. They also get good surf. It's a bit warmer than where we live now in Monterey. That actually depends on how close you are to the water just like here. Further inland in places like Paso Robles get hotter especially mid-summer.

Downsides would be similar for the majority of the central coast. That includes long periods of severe drought that seem to be increasing in frequency. With that comes more frequent, large fires, mudslides, etc... We're still recovering from the last round. The awesome Big Sur coast is 'almost' opened back up with one last huge slide to clear. My aunt and uncle did lose their home to fire. So its a little more than just something you see on the news. Also, with the lack of rain come really dry, brown hills most of the year. So that 'perfectly mild' weather has its downsides or double edged sword. Compare that with other parts of the state and nation that get more annual rainfall and the landscape is very different. That may or may not matter to you. Also great white sharks are a factor you at least must be aware of up here if you go in the ocean. They are definitely swimming around looking for food - always! Some areas are more prone to sightings and attacks than others.

Probably the biggest con for us is that we really like being closer to a large city when we need things like an international airport. For example, we're taking a family vacation to HI and driving to SF to fly direct which is doable from Monterey. While SLO and SB are more removed in that sense. Sure you could take a small plane to a larger airport. But that's a pain and much higher cost than flying direct from SFO or LAX. And of course there are others things you may want to have access to even if an hour or so away.

SB reminds me a lot of Northern LA County. I grew up in coastal LA and know that SoCal vibe all too well. The "Look at me, I've got my convertible Mercedes, Hollywood style livin' and snooty lifestyle, etc..." That vibe changes once you go north of SB city with a more down to earth kind of living from northern SB county through SLO to Monterey. Sure people still have money but its not so flashy and flaunted rather more reserved and subdued overall. While the term 'laid back' lifestyle is over used and N/A for most of SoCal it is still applicable above SB to Monterey.

In terms of surf, SB definitely has the edge with so many great options from world class point breaks to excellent beach breaks around Oxnard. With that comes greater crowds which is the trade off. We used to drive from LA to SB every winter to catch those excellent waves. You've got to be on your game if you are going to catch waves at places like Rincon since there are so many others from all over trying to do the same thing. And the locals have those places dialed-in.

Derek

[NW4me]

Originally Posted by Mr5150

As someone who grew up in CA I say see how many people have died and homes destroyed in the last 50 years due to fires/mudslides/earthquake. Then look to other parts of the country and consider the destruction and death caused by hurricane and tornados!

Just live where you want to.

Yes indeed. Tornados and hurricanes happen every year, whereas decades can pass between severe earthquakes in any given part of CA. And you can mitigate the fire/landslide risk by choosing what part of a town to live in.

The central coast is certainly a magnificent region.